Strengthening ties in Japan

Governor Eric J. Holcomb concluded his first international trade mission to Japan today, working to advance Indiana's economic and cultural partnership with the state's largest foreign investor. The governor spent the past three days in Aichi Prefecture, signing a memorandum of friendship and cooperation with Aichi Governor Hideaki Ohmura to further private-sector exchanges and visiting with executives of Japanese companies with operations in Indiana.

"Our visit to Nagoya was a perfect capstone to our economic development trip," Gov. Holcomb said. "We took the opportunity to say thank you to the many Aichi Prefecture companies that do business in Indiana. We look forward to our continued partnership as we begin to coauthor a new chapter of the Indiana-Japan relationship."

Aichi Prefecture, which is the manufacturing center of Japan, is home to nearly 70 companies with operations in Indiana that employ approximately 29,000 Hoosiers. Indiana ranks among the top five U.S. states for number of business establishments from Aichi Prefecture. Through the cooperation agreement, Indiana and Aichi will work to advance economic, educational and cultural exchanges to further develop both regions.

In Aichi Prefecture, Governor Holcomb traveled to Toyota City to visit the headquarters of Toyota Motor Corporation, joined by the president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Indiana, Millie Marshall. There, the delegation toured the Toyota Kaikan Museum and Takaoka manufacturing plant to learn about the company's advanced manufacturing practices and technology advancements. The governor also joined executives for a friendly game of basketball at the company's gymnasium.

Governor Holcomb and members of the delegation also met with executives of:
• Toyota Industries Corporation, which is the parent company of forklift manufacturer Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (TIEM) and Toyota Material Handling Group in Columbus; TIEM's subsidiary suppliers, North Vernon Industry Corp. and Indiana Hydraulic Equipment Corporation in Franklin; and its latest acquisition, Bastian Solutions with operations in Evansville, Fort Wayne, Greenfield and Indianapolis;

• Aisin Seiki, which employs nearly 3,000 Hoosiers across 10 companies in Seymour, Crothersville, Tell City, Terre Haute, Franklin and Rushville, including Aisin USA Mfg., which is the headquarters and central manufacturing location for North America;

• Toyota Boshoku, an automotive supplier for Toyota Motor Corporation that established operations in Princeton in 2007; and

• Toyota Tsusho, which provides logistics, manufacturing, supply and technical support to Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Tsusho with operations in Columbus, Lafayette and Princeton.

Gov. Holcomb returned to Indiana today, concluding his first international trade mission to Japan. Over the past week, the governor visited Indiana's sister state Tochigi Prefecture, joined fellow governors at the 49th annual Midwest U.S.-Japan Association Conference, signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Japan to deepen Indiana's ties with its largest foreign investor, and met with two of Japan's largest business lobbies.

Among all U.S. states, Indiana is home to the largest amount of Japanese investment per capita with 280 Japan-based companies that employ more than 58,000 Hoosiers. Japan also supports many locations of Indiana-based firms, including Eli Lilly, Cook Medical, Urschel Laboratories and Zimmer Biomet.